I am currently in a production of Evita and its probably one of the most intense costume experiences i've had. tons of quick change. What shows have you done that have been the most intese costume-wise?
It's a toss up between both times I did Les Mis and when I did Lucky Stiff. Not exactly sure how many costumes I had in each, but lord almighty did I spend a lot of time changing them.
"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert
I had some intense costume changes in Meet Me in St. Louis.
Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, RENT, Mamma Mia!, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Evita (with Julia Murney), Hairspray (with Paul Vogt), Peter and the Starcatchers (with Christian Borle), Lion King, Altar Boyz, Legally Blonde (with Lauren Zackrin).
I was in a production of The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other in college. I think I had about fifteen costumes? Almost all of them quick-changes. Everyone in the cast plays between 10 and 20 characters. It was a crazy-ass costume show.
Last Christmas I play three roles (Mr. Gimble, Macy's Elf, Chorus) in Miracle on 34th Street. I had my ensemble costume, my court room costume, my Mr. Gimble outside costume, my Mr. Gimble inside costume, my elf costume (which was skin tight and not delivered until the day of our final dress rehersal), and my finale costume. Mind you, I changed in and out of the costumes depending on the scene. So though it was only six costumes, I was constantly running offstage and having things ripped off and thrown onto my body.
The most costumes I've ever had was in Ragtime. I had seven completely different costumes and I was in and out of them about twelve times each performance. Jekyll and Hyde and Les Miz were also costume heavy, but not as crazy as Ragtime.
This past summer I did a regional production of the Producers. I was in the Ensemble and also Played Kevin the Costume Designer. I had about 8 costumes and 17 changes all together....I am being serious...16 of them were in Springtime alone!!!...Okay the last one was a joke..
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God, I feel like nearly every show I've been in, i've had a TON. I think the record though was when I was Don Lockwood in Singin' In the Rain. He's in basically every scene...I remember the costume racks had 4 or 5 people on one and I had an entire one to myself. I want to say it was like 12 separate costumes, but I really actually think it was more. And like two of them had onstage changes, so I had two more under there waiting.
It was RIDICULOUS. So many hilarious stories about my co-stars finding things to ad-lib about while i was trying to change costumes.
Most quick changes: Bat Boy. I technically only had four costumes, but wow, those quick changes and quick, some taking place onstage. Unlike most productions, they were four completely different costumes with different wigs and hats for each character. I know most productions just add or take away pieces, but our costume designer didn't want that I guess. I played the Bud/Daisy/Pan track, but we also had "ensemble" costumes when we weren't specific characters, like in "Hold Me, Bat Boy" (technically, we were Bat Boy worshipers who were telling the story of Bat Boy). For the opening number alone, I started out as "Ensemble" with the opening solo, then sang half the song, changed into Bud to do the first scene, changed into Daisy to do the second scene (which consisted of a dress and wig change), and then back to "Ensemble" for the ending of the song. Absolute nightmare since those costumes weren't really quick rigged. One of those quick changes was only 7 seconds long! The other quick changes throughout the show, although very quick themselves (changing from Daisy to Bud in just a couple of lines of dialogue!), were a breeze compared to that opening number. But what a thrilling opening number to perform!
Most costumes would be The Producers. I played the Blind Violinist (and actually played!), Mr. Marks, Sabu, Yank-Me Spank-Me, a dancing Hitler, a stormtrooper for "Springtime," and a prisoner. Not many quick changes, thank goodness, but when you do The Producers with very little space backstage and in the dressing rooms, changing in and out can be quite difficult.
I was in this Broadway revue when I was about eleven, and I had a change for every scene I was in. At one point we did the song "Heat Wave" and then had to change into a full-piece suit for the finale. I remember I missed one of the numbers: "Singing in the Rain" because I couldn't make a change. That was a tough show. Although, that's where I had my first solo. My first solo at age eleven? Makin Whoopie. Go me.
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I think i had quite a lot in a UK tour i did of a musical called Mary. We also had quite a few in Fame including one insane quick one (it only took me about 8 months to get it done in time lol)
If were going on most costume changes, I had 15 in one hour when I did the TYA Seussical. I played both the cat in the hat AND a wickersham. (Long story there) I only had two costumes, plus a myriad of accessories for the cat, but It was a constant back and fourth. I lost 40lbs.
"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert
For me, it was actually an opera. I was a super in the world premiere of Tod Machover's Resurrection and I can't remember how many costume changes I had. One included a quick-change on stage behind the curtain after a spectacular death scene featured during the biggest choral number of the show. The opera was not well-received by the critics, but it was visually stunning and I had a LOT of fun.
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A Dinner theater production of "Don't Drink the Water." It was over twenty years ago and I still remember one quick change where I had to trade costumes with a sultan character. I started wearing colorful boxer shorts so that if I wasn't dressed by my entrance I could walk on in my boxers and dress on stage as part of my business. It was then I realized maybe I didn't really want to be an actor.
I did get my laugh on entrance whether I had all or part of that sultan costume on.
In terms of #of costumes, the most I had was as Henrik in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC - a total of 6 costumes, complete with shoe changes for each of them. I thought it was overkill, but that's what the director wanted so...
In terms of quick changes: all the bandages and different plant puppets when I played Seymour in LITTLE SHOP... The changes were breathtakingly fast. I would just go offstage, spread my arms and let 3 people do all the work so I could be back onstage in less then 10 seconds. That was fun.
Cheyenne Jackson tickled me. AFTER ordering SoMMS a drink but NOT tickling him, and hanging out with Girly in his dressing room (where he DIDN'T tickle her) but BEFORE we got married. To others. And then he tweeted Boobs. He also tweeted he's good friends with some chick on "The Voice" who just happens to be good friends with Tink's ex. And I'm still married. Oh, and this just in: "Pettiness, spite, malice ....Such ugly emotions... So sad." - After Eight, talking about MEEEEEEEE!!! I'm so honored! :-)
I would have to say "Phantom." Did the show three times - Fullerton CLO, Candlelight Pavilion and Music Theatre of Southern California. All I did in Act 1, was change costumes. It's a very, very quick change from "Melody" to "Dressing For The Night."
The number of costumes and the lightning quick changes into almost all of them almost killed me when I did I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT... NOW CHANGE. The one that was the hardest was changing into the bright orange prison jumpsuit. OY!
La Cage has CRAZY costume and makeup changes. At least 3 costume changes in the opening number, shoe changes in that number. Four costume changes in then title number at the end of the first act with different wigs and shoes for each. Several other less crazy changes during the rest of the show, but in and out of drag makeup 3x, so 6 makeup changes during the show.
The Producers has a ton a quick changes, espcially during the entire Springtime for Hitler number. Going from a dancing Hitler wannabe to a opening night patron to a tap dancing storm trooper to a bailiff to a dancing prisoner all during the second act.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.